Opening doors

Open doors

With its rolling hills and miles of coastline, the county of Dorset boasts a bounty of regional produce from Beaminster to Bournemouth

With its rolling hills and miles of coastline, the county of Dorset boasts a bounty of regional produce from Beaminster to Bournemouth

The demand for farm to fork eating continues unabated as food scares and food miles become 'hot potatoes' for both manufacturers and caterers. Sourcing British, home grown food products and being able to tell the story of where they come from has more profit potential than ever before, and for this Dorset offers a one-stop shop.

Traditionally a county of agriculture, farmers in Dorset and the south west have undergone tough times in recent years, with foot and mouth disease scares and falling prices. As a result, many have begun to diversify by selling speciality food products direct to farmers markets and local restaurants. While some build on age-old food traditions of the area, a new and innovative generation are also getting onboard, creating many cottage industries in the county.

More markets and shows are focusing on food heroes and regional suppliers, and there is a real buzz across the UK to buy local and find out what is happening in a particular area. In return its commercial prospects are very promising.
Every year Dorset welcomes the Hotel & Catering Show and this fuels the farm to fork eating trend that is increasingly becoming the consumers' choice when eating out.

The show has been a local feature for more than 50 years attracting visitors to the areas of both Dorset and Hampshire, but this year it has focused specifically on local and regional cuisine. Show director Anna Wallis says: "You only have to look at the uplift figures in retail and foodservice from British Food Fortnight to see exactly how important the provenance of ingredients is to the consumer.

"The figures from these two weeks of promotion alone are enormous. Some retailers saw a 30% increase when they promoted the event, and pubs and restaurants saw themselves busy every night and taking forward bookings as far ahead as Christmas."

The list of home grown exhibitors is a long one but many stand out for their typically regional fare. In 2003 the Cranborne Estate was chosen by Rick Stein as one of his food heroes in his 'best meat' category.

The estate produces a rare breed of pork, beef and lamb and it rears its animals in a free-range environment within the woods. These products are sold in its shops.

Its flagship store is open seven days a week and offers this rare breed meat, tender venison and other wild game when it is in season. The store also has a marvellous deli counter displaying terrines, cold cuts and unusual cheeses. Its extensive customer base includes Gordon Ramsay and Leith's in London.

Another exhibitor - Goldy's Farm Shops - aims to provide the very best in local, organic produce. Its range includes traditionally reared meat, regional fruit and vegetables, home-made bread and cakes and home-made ready meals. The organisation was recently awarded the prestigious best rural retailer award from the Countryside Alliance.

Its suppliers include Honeybuns in Sherborne which produces gluten free cakes and cookies; Dorset Cereals, winner of several awards for its innovative and stylish range of cereals and fruity porridges; Olives Et Al, suppliers of natural and authentic olive recipes; and famous Dorset bakers Fudges.

The Pampered Pigs Pantry has been operating since 2004 following the success of its farmers' market stall, and it sells pork, beef and lamb produced on its farm. The farm is split across 320 acres between Tolpuddle and the picturesque Bere Valley and has been owned by the Crocker family since the late 1800s.

In addition to meat, it produces a selection of organic food, vegetables and GM free groceries.

Eating out

Restaurants have seen that putting local produce on their menus has paid off, with countless awards being won. In December, Wimborne based eatery The Blue Fig was crowned the 2006 best restaurant of the year in Dorset's Daily Echo Business Awards. It was praised for its modern British cuisine cooked from the finest local produce by chef owner Jason Hindle.

Charlotte Hockey from the Hotel & Catering Show says: "Jason and his wife Lynne are extremely passionate about quality, service and the use of good local produce. This is a good indicator for the strength of restaurants we have in the county and we hope the award will gain momentum in years to come."

Meanwhile Ian Gibbs, head chef at The Coventry Arms in Wimborne takes the term 'The Local' to a whole new level by using entirely local produce on his menu be it from Dorset or Hampshire.

The gastro pub won the 2006 best dining pub of the year prize awarded by the Dorset County magazine along with Taste of the West, and one of the reasons is that Gibbs takes his passion for local food very seriously.

All the names of the local suppliers are published on the menu so people can see at a glance where they get the ingredients - the butcher is Price in Fordingbridge, greengrocery comes from Country Fayre in Poole, ice cream is produced by Purbeck Dairy - the list is endless.

More often than not, people recognise the suppliers and know of their reputations within the area. This is his real point of difference and helps the pub to keep ahead of the competition within the area.

Flagging up the provenance counts too such as Poole plaice, New Forest black pudding and his own version of Dorset apple cake dessert.

"I'm a firm believer that local is best and always use smaller companies over the mass producers. In terms of cost effectiveness and profitability, local produce cannot be beaten and obviously because you know where the produce has come from, you know that you are purchasing good quality goods."

Another business keen to celebrate the traditions and rich pickings of produce in the region is local brewer Hall & Woodhouse (H&W), which scoured the area for the national dish of Dorset last year.

In its search for a recipe to take its place alongside the Cornish pasty, Yorkshire pudding and Lancashire hotpot as the signature dish of Dorset, it received hundreds of excellent entries but managed to narrow these down to just eight creations.

The overall winner was Dorset apple cake by Greg Coomer, who along with the seven runners-up, combined to produce a set of recipes that were easy to prepare, would not take up too much time in the kitchen, and could be matched with a bottle of the brewer's Badger ale. The top dishes were:

Braised Dorset pork loin with real ale glaze and Dorset blue Vinney cheese sauce
Dorset apple cake
Dorset country lamb pie
Dorset golden ham
Great Dorset sausage fayre
John's Dorset Panhandle
Melcombe toasted venison
Traditional Lyme Bay fish pie

The beer thought perfect to go with the Dorset apple cake was Badger First Gold, described as a classic golden brown country ale, 4% ABV, with a pronounced floral hop aroma, an underlying roasted malt character and a clean, fresh and slightly spicy flavour.

Photography Shutterstock, Hall & Woodhouse